Washington Nationals

The time for selling Stephen Strasburg short is over.

There are only a few weeks left until the Washington Nationals ace has to decide between taking the four years and $100 million left on his contract or opting out to seek greater riches in free agency. And with the way he's pitching, Door No. 2 may be looking more enticing by the day.

On Monday, Strasburg was front and center in the Nationals' 8-1 over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. He pitched seven innings and allowed only one unearned run on seven hits with no walks and 12 strikeouts.

12 strikeouts, all on off-speed stuff.

FILTHY. 🤮

(MLB x @NikeBaseball) pic.twitter.com/lgSDdqyDog

— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2019

The Nationals have outscored the Cardinals 13-2 in the process of racking up a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Their first-ever World Series ticket could be punched as soon as Tuesday at Nationals Park.

Assuming that celebration eventually does take place, plenty of individual Nats players will be extra deserving of a champagne shower.

Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto and Howie Kendrick have been racking up clutch hit after clutch hit since the calendar turned to October. And as good as he was in Game 3, Strasburg hasn't even been Washington's best pitcher in the NLCS. Anibal Sanchez and Max Scherzer each gave up one hit over 14.2 combined innings in the first two games.

And yet October 2019 feels fundamentally like Stephen Strasburg's moment. Never before has the 31-year-old felt more essential to the Nationals, much less more like one of the quintessential aces in Major League Baseball. 

Believe it or not, it's already been 10 years since the Nationals picked Strasburg out of San Diego State with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft. Likewise, it's already been nine years since he electrified the baseball world with 14 strikeouts in his major league debut.

It seemed back then like a straight and narrow path to the Baseball Hall of Fame lay ahead of Strasburg. After all, how could a guy with exceptional control of a triple-digit fastball, a knee-buckling curveball and a disappearing changeup possibly fail?

"Let us count the ways," said the baseball gods.

Not long after he arrived in the majors in 2010, Strasburg's elbow broke down, and he had to sit for more than a year after having Tommy John surgery. Infamously, that later begat the Nationals' controversial decision to shut him down ahead of the 2012 postseason.

Despite that major precaution and more minor ones in ensuing years, the injury bug has nonetheless continued to take bites out of Strasburg. Over the last eight seasons, he's topped 30 starts three times and 200 innings only twice.

Though he's been an occasional All-Star and Cy Young Award contender, he also hasn't had the easiest time living up to his sky-high potential. There's never been anything wrong with his strikeout-to-walk ratio, but he's been prone to good-not-great ERAs by way of a proneness to loud contact.

In 2019, however, pretty much everything about Strasburg changed for the better.

For one thing, he stayed healthy enough to log an NL-high 209 innings. For another, he was able to mitigate any harmful effects from a downturn in his average fastball velocity—to "only" 93.9 mph—by adopting a new pitch mix:

The slider Strasburg was throwing between 2016 and 2018? That was gone. In addition, his fastball usage featured fewer four-seamers and more two-seamers.

As Strasburg explained to Byron Kerr of MASN: 

"[My sinker is] a pitch that complements my other ones pretty well. You look around the league and there are guys that are fastball hitters, and at the same time four-seamers don’t struggle with two-seam. So, I think when you have that variation and you have confidence to throw either one, depending on who you are facing, it can really be used to your advantage.”

Strasburg's new-look repertoire didn't cost him in the strikeout-to-walk department, where he put up a par-for-the-course 4.5 mark. What it did do, however, was help him with his contact management. His ground-ball and hard-hit rates were both better than average to an all-new degree:

Thus was Strasburg able to win a career-high 18 games and finished with a 3.32 ERA, which translated to the second-best full-season ERA+ of his career.

So has it gone for the veteran right-hander in the postseason. He's racked up 33 strikeouts and only one walk over 22 total innings, and he's been keeping the bulk of his batted balls on the ground. 

Strasburg's career postseason track record, meanwhile, is inching toward Gibson-ian, Schilling-ian or Bumgarner-ian levels of magnificence. It now includes a 1.10 ERA, 57 strikeouts and five walks over 41 innings.

If the Nationals achieve what would seem to be a very likely sweep on Tuesday, they'll have every reason to give Strasburg the ball for Game 1 of the World Series on Oct. 22. After that, nothing short of an injury might keep him from opting out in search of a free-agent payday in the $125 million to $150 million range.

That, certainly, would be an appropriate cap on a season that feels like it's been a long time coming.

                   

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant. 

Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle doesn't have time for people who criticized Daniel Hudson's decision to miss Game 1 of the National League Championship Series while on paternity leave. 

Following Saturday's 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2, Doolittle addressed the situation involving his teammate. 

"If your reaction to someone having a baby is anything other than, 'Congratulations, I hope everybody's healthy!' you're an assh--e," Doolittle told reporters. 

The Nationals announced Hudson would miss the NLCS opener Friday because his wife gave birth to the couple's third child.

Former Miami Marlins president David Samson was among the people critical of Hudson for missing a baseball game to be with his wife. 

"Unreal that Daniel Hudson is on paternity list and missing game 1 of #NLCS," Samson tweeted. "Only excuse would be a problem with the birth or health of baby or mother. If all is well, he needs to get to St. Louis. Inexcusable. Will it matter?"

The Nationals won 2-0 in Game 1 thanks to Anibal Sanchez's no-hit bid that got broken up with two outs in the eighth inning. Doolittle followed him out of the bullpen by getting the final four outs. 

Hudson returned to the Nationals in St. Louis for Game 2. He recorded the final two outs to give Washington a 2-0 series lead heading back to Nationals Park.

The Washington Nationals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0 on Friday night in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series without the assistance of co-aces Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.

Both pitchers were unavailable after helping Washington defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in a hotly contested five-game division-series tussle. 

Instead, the Nats handed the ball to veteran Anibal Sanchez, and the 35-year-old right-hander exceeded their wildest expectations.

Through seven innings at Busch Stadium, Sanchez held the Cardinals hitless. In the eighth, he recorded two outs, including one on an impressive diving catch by veteran first baseman Ryan Zimmerman. It looked like the type of play that would ultimately uphold a historic no-hitter and go down in the replay annals.

Instead, after 7.2 frames of hitless work, Sanchez surrendered a clean single to Cardinals pinch hitter Jose Martinez.   

His bid for an October no-no ended. Yet the Nationals held on to win. And Sanchez's performance solidified an undeniable fact: The Nationals are officially and irrefutably a World Series threat.

That was technically true when they finished the regular season with a 93-69 record and grabbed the National League's top wild-card position. It was more true when they engineered a come-from-behind win in the NL Wild Card Game against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

It was even more true when they toppled the 106-win Dodgers in the division series, again winning the decisive contest in come-from-behind fashion.

Now, with Sanchez dealing like an ace against the Cards, it's true with a capital T. 

Washington employs Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who posted a 2.92 ERA with 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 172.1 regular-season frames and has fanned 16 in 13 innings this postseason with a 2.77 ERA.

It also boasts Stephen Strasburg, who has backed up a 3.32 ERA and 251 strikeouts in 209 regular-season innings in 2019 with a 2.40 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 15 postseason innings thus far.

Lefty Patrick Corbin, meanwhile, is a solid No. 3 with a 3.25 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 202 regular-season innings and 14 strikeouts in eight postseason frames, including a dominant turn out of the bullpen in the Nationals' Game 5 division-series victory over Los Angeles.

Now, with Sanchez dealing Friday, the Nationals appear to be stacked in the pitching department.

Sanchez didn't overpower the Cardinals with triple-digit velocity. Rather, he relied on an arsenal of well-placed corner pitches and off-speed offerings. 

The result was frequent whiffs or weak contact by St Louis hitters.

"Everybody talks about Stras, Scherzer, Corbin. Anibal's been [a] big part of why we are here too," manager Dave Martinez told reporters. "He's a big part of our success, and man, he goes out there, and he gives us a chance to win every time he's out there."

It wasn't the first time Sanchez shone in the postseason spotlight. He pitched in the playoffs in 2012, 2013 and 2014 with the Detroit Tigers and last season with the Atlanta Braves.

In Game 1 of the 2013 American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, he twirled six no-hit innings. Add Friday's feat, and he's in history-making territory, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Aníbal Sánchez is the first player in MLB postseason history with multiple career no-hit bids of at least 6 innings. h/t @EliasSports

He threw 6 hitless innings in Game 1 of the 2013 ALCS. pic.twitter.com/140RhQYFvS

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 12, 2019

Sanchez wobbled with the Tigers in 2017 and wound up on the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens before ultimately landing on the injured list with a hamstring issue.

After a failed attempt to catch on with the Minnesota Twins and a bounce-back season with Braves in '18, he posted a 4.44 FIP in 166 innings for the Nationals in 2019.

Mix in his postseason experience and pedigree, however, and he's an intriguing X-factor, as Friday's showing demonstrated.  

The Nationals can't live without offensive anchors Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto. They'll rise and fall with Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin and closer Sean Doolittle, who buttresses a bullpen that ranked last in MLB with a 5.66 regular-season ERA. 

If Sanchez adds another silver bullet in Martinez's chamber, though, these Nats go from scrappy hopeful to full-blown Fall Classic threat.

The Cardinals ranked 22nd in baseball with a .737 team OPS. Meanwhile, in the American League, the New York Yankees ranked No. 3 with an .829 OPS and the Houston Astros finished No. 1 with an .848 OPS. The competition will get stiffer, assuming the Nationals advance.

For the moment, however, the Nats are on a roll. And Sanchez's near no-hitter adds a stiff wind to their sails.

They survived the wild-card win-or-go-home crucible. They vanquished the mighty Dodgers.

Now, courtesy of Sanchez's heroics, they have a 1-0 lead in the NLCS...and another hurler to count on.

            

All statistics current as of Friday and courtesy of Baseball Reference.

---

Cop Exclusive Pedro Martinez x B/R World Tour Merch.

The grass is still green. The sky is still blue. And yet things aren't altogether normal in October 2019. Suddenly, the Washington Nationals are masters of avoiding postseason humiliation.

Whereas the Los Angeles Dodgers went into the National League Division Series in search of a third straight World Series appearance, the Nationals were merely looking for their first victory in any postseason series since the franchise was "born" in 2005.

But just when the status quo seemed to be holding as the Dodgers took a 3-1 lead into the eighth inning of Game 5 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night, one thing led to another and the Nats ultimately secured a date with the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series with a 7-3 victory in 10 innings.

Specifically, resident sluggers Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto tied the game with back-to-back home runs off three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw in the eighth:

These @Nationals don't quit. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/tuVbJYR8mE

— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2019

Then veteran utility man Howie Kendrick put the Nats ahead for good with a grand slam off Joe Kelly in the 10th:

HOWIE. KENDRICK. #NLDS pic.twitter.com/ta232QleMx

— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2019

A horrified silence fell over Dodger Stadium after all three home runs, but the 54,159 fans in attendance might as well have all been saying the same thing by the time Kendrick's ball cleared the fence: "This isn't supposed to be happening."

The Dodgers didn't just come into the NLDS with a recent run of October success to keep up. They also came in off a 106-win regular season in which they led the NL in runs scored and runs allowed.

This wasn't just another great Dodgers team. It was perhaps the perfect team to end the franchise's 31-year championship drought. 

But while much will surely be written about how and why the '19 Dodgers failed to last beyond the first round of the playoffs, the simplest answer is the Nationals team that beat them really is that good.

The Nationals' first order of business in 2019 was to prove they could overcome the loss of franchise icon Bryce Harper to the Philadelphia Phillies via free agency over the winter. They initially struggled to do so with a 19-31 record through their first 50 games.

From then on, however, the Nats found their stride and achieved exactly the same record as the Dodgers (74-38) over their final 112 games. That this happened despite seemingly daily efforts by their bullpen to ruin everything is a testament to their two greatest strengths.

Thanks primarily to Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez, Nats starters trailed only the Dodgers with a 3.36 ERA after May 23. Likewise, Rendon, Soto and Kendrick paced an offense that lagged behind only—you guessed it—the Dodgers in runs scored among NL teams.

What's more, Nats hitters had a way of coming through in various clutch situations all season:

• High-Leverage: .822 OPS (seventh in MLB)
• Runners in Scoring Position: .887 OPS (second in MLB)
• Two Outs, Runners in Scoring Position: .870 OPS (first in MLB)

Because the postseason tends to be such a different animal than the regular season, what works in the latter doesn't always translate to the former. But if that's the rule, these Nationals have already proved they can be an exception.

That was apparent in the NL Wild Card Game, in which the Nats pulled out a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers thanks to fine work from Scherzer and Strasburg and a clutch bases-loaded hit by Soto.

Scherzer and Strasburg didn't skip a beat during their starts in Games 2, 4 and 5 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, combining to allow five earned runs with 24 strikeouts over 19 innings. Sanchez contributed five one-run innings in Game 3, and even Corbin's shaky outing in Game 1 yielded only one earned run in six innings.

Much like Chris Sale, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi during the Boston Red Sox's championship run last season, Scherzer, Strasburg and Corbin have also been effective in relief.

Strasburg pitched three clean innings out of the bullpen in the NL Wild Card Game. Scherzer struck out the side in the eighth inning of NLDS Game 2. Corbin flopped out of the pen in Game 3 but recovered with three strikeouts in 1.1 innings on Wednesday.

Though the Nationals have scored exactly as many runs (25) as their opponents in October, their collective gift for picking their battles has remained intact. From Soto's knock in the Wild Card game to Ryan Zimmerman's clutch three-run homer in NLDS Game 4 to the trio of late-inning long balls in Game 5, the clutch hits have kept flowing.

The obligatory disclaimer here is that all this could easily fall apart.

The Nationals are running the risk of burning out their vaunted Scherzer-Strasburg-Corbin trio. And while it's always interesting whenever an offense flashes an apparent "clutch gene," such things tend to exist until, all of a sudden, they don't.

For now, however, what the Nationals are doing is obviously working. And it certainly stands in stark contrast to what didn't work for them during the 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 playoffs. No single narrative ran through all four postseason defeats, but there was a general lack of impact hitting and pitching performances when the Nationals needed them most.

For whatever reason, these Nationals are different. That must be why they're still standing.

                 

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Washington Nationals catcher Kurt Suzuki had to be helped off the field after being hit in the face during the seventh inning of Wednesday's Game 5 National League Division Series matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  

The pitch from Dodgers starter Walker Buehler came in high and tight, ricocheting off Suzuki's wrist before hitting him in the face and knocking off his helmet. He was on the field for several minutes while being attended to by the Nationals training staff and was then taken to the clubhouse.

Yan Gomes came into the game to replace Suzuki, who was 0-for-1 with a walk before he exited.

The Nationals have not given an indication of Suzuki's status. It's likely he will be taken to a medical facility to undergo further testing.

Suzuki has struggled during the Nationals' divisional series matchup with the Dodgers, going hitless in 12 at-bats. However, he's remained a steady presence behind the plate defensively.

Gomes, who played in 97 games during the regular season, has been limited to just four at-bats during the playoffs and has also gone without a hit. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers won’t have to face Max Scherzer at the start of Game 3 of their National League Division Series.

According to the Canadian Press (h/t TSN), the Washington Nationals elected to start Anibal Sanchez for Sunday’s game instead of Scherzer after the latter pitched in relief during Friday’s Game 2.

Washington decided on the change less than nine hours before the 7:45 p.m. ET start time.

This will likely come as something of a relief for the Dodgers given Scherzer’s status as one of the best pitchers of his generation and a three-time Cy Young winner. He also finished in the top five of the award’s voting in each of the last six years and is once again a candidate in 2019 after finishing the season with a 2.92 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 243 strikeouts in 172.1 innings.

He was dominant in Friday’s game, striking out the side in the eighth inning and helping preserve what eventually became a 4-2 win to even the series.

Sanchez was solid this year with a 3.85 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 134 strikeouts in 166 innings, but he cannot match Scherzer’s ceiling.

Still, the Dodgers will surely see the daunting right-hander again at some point in this series. Washington has the chance to win the series on its home field in the next two games and can turn to Scherzer in Game 4 or even Game 5 if needed.

He already proved he can come out of the bullpen and can provide a formidable one-two punch with Stephen Strasburg if the season is hanging in the balance.

The Washington Nationals have never won a World Series. They lost franchise icon Bryce Harper to free agency in the offseason.

But Friday night, they had Stephen Strasburg...and he was enough.

In six innings of stellar work against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Nats right-hander struck out 10. He gave up three hits and one earned run.

The Nationals won 4-2.

"I just learned over the years that pressure's a funny thing, and I think it's something that you have complete control over," Strasburg told reporters. "There's obviously a lot of expectations, there's a lot of excitement in games, but I really tried over the years to train my mind into thinking that every single game is just as important."

Co-ace Max Scherzer threw an inning of perfect relief to help uphold Strasburg's win. In the National League Wild Card Game on Tuesday, Strasburg twirled a trio of dominant relief frames in support of Scherzer.

"When you get to these games—I've said this before—you're playing to win one game," skipper Dave Martinez told reporters. "Every day's crucial."

Game 2 was certainly crucial for the Nationals. They tied the best-of-five National League Division Series. They gave themselves a puncher's chance to win a series for the first time since 1981, when they were the Montreal Expos.

Let's get back to Strasburg. In 28 career playoff innings, the 31-year-old has posted a 0.64 ERA with 38 strikeouts next to a mere four walks. Dominance doesn't begin to describe it.

When the lights shine brightest, Strasburg cranks his dial to 11.

It was fitting the Dodgers started Clayton Kershaw on Friday. Despite a career stuffed with three Cy Young Awards, an MVP trophy and ample other lofty moments, the Dodgers lefty has failed to lift Los Angeles to a title and has tumbled in the playoffs more often than he's succeeded.

In Game 2, Kershaw surrendered six hits and three earned runs in six innings while Strasburg glistened.

Said Scherzer: "He's fun to watch, especially in these big moments."

The No. 1 overall pick in 2009, Strasburg has carried heavy expectations throughout his career. He's made three All-Star teams and earned two top-10 Cy Young Award finishes, but injuries and inconsistency have dinged his MLB legacy.

For every high, there has been a low.

This offseason, he could pull the opt-out ripcord and become a free agent. Set aside a Tommy John procedure, a lat strain and shoulder trouble.

Strasburg's postseason resume is unimpeachable.

In his latest effort, he pulled the Nationals even with the Dodgers. That would be the same Dodgers who have won two consecutive NL pennants and seven straight NL West crowns.

The Nats on Tuesday had their first postseason breakthrough after four NLDS losses since 2012, a span in which they have the most regular-season wins besides the Dodgers. The starting rotation is their anchor, and Strasburg is spearheading a trio that includes Scherzer and Patrick Corbin.

For the moment, the formula is working. As FanGraphs' Dan Szymborski put it:

"In a season in which the Dodgers won 106 games and led the National League in runs scored, Strasburg has been one of the few pitchers to have continued success against the Boys in Blue. Adding in Friday night's performance, Strasburg's season line against the Dodgers (so far!) amounts to a 1.89 ERA in three starts with 26 strikeouts in 19 innings."

The Nats may not be able to keep it up. Their bullpen posted a 5.68 ERA in the regular season, dead-last in the NL. Scherzer and Strasburg may not be able to carry the load all the way to the champagne-and-confetti finish line.

On the other hand, maybe they can. And if so, Strasburg could be the one to make it happen.

   

All statistics accurate as of Friday and courtesy of Baseball Reference.

Following his side's 6-0 loss in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Thursday, Washington Nationals star Juan Soto wasn't impressed with what he saw from Los Angeles Dodgers ace Walker Buehler. 

Per Arash Markazi of the Los Angeles Times, Soto described Buehler's performance as "nothing special," even though the Nationals had just one hit against him in six innings. 

"For me, it's the same Buehler I've been seeing this season," Soto said. "It's nothing special. He's really good, but he don't have anything different for me."

Soto's single to lead off the second inning was Washington's only hit against Buehler. The Nationals did make things interesting in the fourth inning when the Dodgers right-hander walked the bases loaded, but Asdrubal Cabrera's ground out ended the threat. 

It certainly wasn't the best game Buehler ever pitched, though he left his team in a position to win the game when manager Dave Roberts took him out.

The Dodgers capitalized in the later innings on Max Muncy's two-run single in the seventh and solo homers from Gavin Lux and Joc Pederson in the eighth to turn Game 1 into a blowout. 

It's not as if Los Angeles needs bulletin-board material to be successful after leading the NL with 106 wins during the regular season.

Soto's comments certainly don't do anything to help the Nationals as they look to get back on track in Game 2. Things won't get any easier Friday when Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for Los Angeles. He will be opposed by Stephen Strasburg, who tossed three shutout innings in relief during Tuesday's NL Wild Card win over the Milwaukee Brewers. 

The Washington Nationals are moving on to the National League Division Series after pulling off the kind of feat they aren't usually known for.

A clutch win. In October. And in an elimination game, no less.

Specifically, the magic happened in the bottom of the eighth inning during the Nats' 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card Game at Nationals Park on Tuesday night.

Juan Soto's two-out, bases-loaded single off Josh Hader probably would have been good enough to tie the game on its own, but a misplay by right fielder Trent Grisham allowed all three runs to score. Just like that, Milwaukee's 3-1 lead went poof.

This was only night one of the #postseason.

October baseball is THE BEST. #WePlayLoud pic.twitter.com/w5eTJNtndy

— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2019

The sheer impact of the 20-year-old Soto's fateful base hit can't be understated. 

Heck, even noting that it rescued Washington's win probability from the depths isn't giving it proper credit. According to Rany Jazayerli, who covers baseball for The Ringer and The Athletic, there's one measure by which Soto's knock ranks among the most important in all of Major League Baseball history:

Juan Soto's bases-clearer increased the Nats' odds of winning this round by .610. By series win probability added, that's the 3rd-biggest play in major league history.

Only Hal Smith's 3-run homer in 1960 WS Game 7 and Francisco Cabrera's walkoff in the 1992 NLCS rank higher.

— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) October 2, 2019

"How about him? He's done it all year," Nats manager Dave Martinez said of the young outfielder, according to MLB.com's Jamal Collier. "These guys are relentless, and he's one of them. ... He loves big moments, and that was a big moment."

Pretty much right up until said moment, the NL Wild Card Game looked like it was doomed to be just the latest chapter in the Nationals' story of postseason misery.

They only won a single postseason series in their years as the Montreal Expos between 1969 and 2004, and their fortunes haven't improved since moving to Washington in 2005. They lost in the NLDS in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017, including three times in a winner-take-all Game 5.

The Nationals could have won any of those four series. Perhaps if they hadn't shut down Stephen Strasburg in 2012. Or if Matt Williams had made better decisions from the manager's chair in 2014. For that matter, ditto for Dusty Baker in 2016 and 2017.

As if on cue, it seemed like a questionable call would also derail the Nationals on Tuesday night. 

The club's decision to start Max Scherzer over Stephen Strasburg was the right choice based on the former's track record, but not so much in light of how the two had been trending recently.

After sitting out most of July and August with a bad back, Scherzer returned to post a 4.74 ERA and surrender eight home runs in his final seven starts of the regular season. For his part, Strasburg went into October hot off a 2.40 ERA over a string of 10 starts.

Rather than revert to the form that's netted him three Cy Young Awards and seven All-Star nods, Scherzer immediately served up three runs on homers by Yasmani Grandal and Eric Thames in the first two innings. He later had to get out of a jam of his own making in the fifth.

Strasburg followed with three shutout innings in his first major league relief appearance, yet it seemed to be too little, too late. Apart from a Trea Turner homer in the third, Nats hitters simply couldn't get anything going against Brandon Woodruff, Brent Suter and Drew Pomeranz.

Once Hader entered in the eighth, Washington's latest playoff flop seemed pretty well finalized. He is, after all, a guy who's made two All-Star teams and racked up 16.1 strikeouts per nine innings as a multi-inning relief ace over the last two seasons. 

But then again, perhaps nobody should be surprised this particular Nationals team refused to echo the October whimpers of previous iterations.

Though these Nationals won "only" 93 games all season, they won an MLB-high-tying 74 of their games after May 24. In other words, they were arguably the best team in baseball after getting a slow start out of their system.

For that feat, nothing was more important than a starting rotation—notably led by Scherzer, Strasburg and fellow ace Patrick Corbin—that carried the load with a 3.36 ERA. But Nats hitters did their part by producing nearly six runs per game.

That happened in part because they were just plain clutch, no matter one's preferred measurement of the notion:

• High-Leverage: .822 OPS (seventh in MLB)
• Runners in Scoring Position: .887 OPS (second in MLB)
• Two Outs, Runners in Scoring Position: .870 OPS (first in MLB)

In the context of these numbers, Soto's Twitter-breaking hit was less of a miracle and more of a variation on a familiar theme.

Whatever the case, the Nationals must not lose sight of the fact they still technically haven't won a postseason series as a resident of the nation's capital. Likewise, they must not underestimate the challenge that now lies ahead in the NLDS.

Said challenge is otherwise known as the Los Angeles Dodgers, who built on back-to-back trips to the World Series with 106 wins in this year's regular season. All they did to earn those wins was lead the National League in both runs scored and runs allowed per game.

However, the Dodgers, who'll host Game 1 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, might be the one team left standing whose bullpen is just as unreliable as Washington's. And while NL MVP favorite Cody Bellinger would seem to be the best player on either team, his star has actually been fading on a regular basis since his otherworldly April.

This is not to say it will be easy for the Nationals to slay the National League's mightiest dragon. But after slaying some of their October demons on Tuesday, they might just be up for it.

               

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

Sometimes, the simplest approach is the best one.

"Sell out on his fastball," Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto said when asked what his approach to facing fireballer Josh Hader was in the eighth inning of Tuesday's National League Wild Card Game, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

It worked, as Soto delivered with a bases-loaded single that scored three runs because Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Trent Grisham misplayed the ball. The hit put the Nationals ahead for good 4-3 and propelled them into the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Soto was also asked how he felt during the ensuing celebration and said, per Dougherty, "You know when you have goosebumps?"

The goosebumps were warranted considering the 20-year-old helped the franchise advance in the postseason for the first time since it was in Montreal in 1981.

He wasn't the only hero. Stephen Strasburg entered the game after Max Scherzer allowed three earned runs in five innings and proceeded to throw three shutout frames with four strikeouts. It was the type of performance the Nationals needed to remain within striking distance before the offense finally came through against Milwaukee.

It did just that when Michael Taylor reached base with a hit-by-pitch, Ryan Zimmerman muscled a broken-bat single into center and Anthony Rendon worked a walk from a full count before Soto played the role of hero.

He may have felt goosebumps after Tuesday's win, but Washington will be in an even more celebratory mood if it defeats the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series. The Nationals lost in the NLDS in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and will be tasked with facing the likes of Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Soto may have to sell out on a few more fastballs to advance.